Ball-bearing.



C. A. GARLSON.

BALL BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15.1917.

Patented Apr. 1?, 1917.

v rev aw e bear. a. CARLSON, or New BRITAIN, corntrcriour, ass-reason as THE remain ENG oomraltr, or new antenna, oonm'acrrcur, n coaroaarton or contamination.

Bath-anaemia Specification of Letters Patent.

ratenteaa r. it,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, CARL A; CARLsoN a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New Britain, Hartford county, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Ball-Bearing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to antifriction bearings and particularly to ball bearings'of the double row type.

It is my object to provide a new and improved construction whereby the bearing may be easily assembled and whereby its durability and life may be substantially enhanced. These and various other advantages will appear to the mechanic skilled in the art from a reading of the following description and an examination of the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l, is a cross section of a bearing as the parts appear in the act of assembling.

Fig. 2, is a similar view of the finished bearing.

Fig. 3, is a side elevation partly in section of the complete bearing.

Fig. 4, is a view of the edge of the outer ring partly broken away.

1 represents an inner bearing ring which in this particular instance is provided with an annular channel to form two inwardly facing opposite shoulders which -furnish respectively two spaced ball raceway tracks 2-3. The outer ring is made in two sections 45, each of which is provided with an I annular shoulder to term ball race-way tracks indicated respectively at 78. 9-49 are balls of one series, which balls are arranged between the ball race-way tracks 27. 10-1D are balls of a second series which are arranged between the ball raceway tracks 3-8 when the bearing is assembled ready for use. The width of the outer ring members 4-5 is such that when brought together as shown in Fig. 1 sufiicient clearance is afforded between the inner and outer bearing members to permit the balls to be introduced in the act of assembling the hearing. If desired, an entrance notch 6 may be provided in one or the other of the rings to afford additional clearance for assembling. When both race-ways have been filled with the desired number of balls, the rings are moved apart to the final operative position shown in Fig. 2, in which position they are positively held in the manner hereinafter described. At the inner edge of each ring member t5 there is formed an annular groove, and the bottom of each groove constitutes what I shall term a supporting shoulder or platform, said platforms being indicated respectively at 1112. Seated in these grooves is what I shall term a spacing member 14. This spacing member is preferably in the form of a split ring, the ends of which are indicated at 15, Fig. 3. This spllt ring is formed of a suitable hard metal such as lron or steel, such as can be deformed when subjected to heavy pressure. This split ring, which may be made from. sheet metal, is first formed so that it is arched outwardly in cross section, as shown in Fig. 1. This arching of the ring reduces the width somewhat so that it may be inserted into the aforesaid grooved portions of the bearing members 4-5 when the same are slightly separated from the position shown in Fig. 1. When the spacer is in place it is then suitably deformed by pressure to flatten it down as shown in Fig. 8. This fiattening down of the ring causes the same to widen out and thus hold the ring members in a properly spaced relation, as shown in Fig. 2. In the preferred form of the construction I undercut the recesses or grooves in the outer side of each ring memher 4: and 5 so that the spacer cannot be re moved but will become a permanent part of the bearing. Again, in the preferred form of construction 1 preferably form at one or more points on the side out the spacer 14 lateral projections 16-16. By this or an equivalent means it is impossible for one ring section a or 5 to slip on the spacer 14- and thereby grind the same down so as to loosen the bearing. inasmuch as the spacer means must necessarily be made of hard metal in order to efi'ectively perform its intended function, it is obvious that it is desirable to provide an adequate support at the inside to resist the pressure necessary to deform the spacer and to transform it from substantially the shape shown in Fig. l to the shape shown in Fig. 2. Bv providing the supporting shoulders or p arms 11 and 1.2 an adequate support or a.-vil is formed which will sufficiently resist the pressure or force required to eft'ect'the aforesaid transformation. It is obvious that any suitable ball spacing member may be provided in the event It is desired to employ balls of a lesser 'to require illustration.

require a mere reversal of parts to divide the inner ring instead of the outer ring, and to adapt-the spacer 14-thereto.

It will be understood that in Fig. 1. I have shown one of the balls 10 in the position in which it would appear when being inserted into-the bearing. In assembling the hearing the balls 9- 9 may be freely introduced after shifting the outer ring bodily to the right as viewed in Fig. 1. When a sufficient number of balls 9 have been inserted the outer bearing member is moved to the left to hold the balls 99 in place, as shown. The balls 10 are then inserted with entire freedom so long as the ring member 5 is shifted over toward the-ring member 4-. When all the balls 10 are in place the spacing member is then snapped into place and pressure is applied as aforesaid to expand 1t laterally to a sufiicient extent to hold the ring sections 45 in the final operative position indicated in Fig. 2. By properly proportioning the spacer means 14 it is obvious .rings, after the same have first been acno adjusting means whatever is required to first space the rings 4; and 5 before inserting the member 14. The spreader in its initially arched condition will be seen to be in the nature of a truss or toggle which will act, as the arch is flattened down, like a toggle to spread the members apart to the desired extent.

I am aware that heretofore in a bearing of this general character it has been proposed to introduce soft metal into the space between the two axially displaceable bearing curately adjusted, for the purpose of sealing the bearing rings in said preadjusted position, the soft metal being heated and introduced in a fused state, but such a construction is open to several objections that my invention avoids. First, should the bearing. become overheated, as is not infrequently the case in overloads, the soft metal seal-would be liable to become fluid and to run and choke the bearing proper, destroying its efliciency. Again in such a construction great difliculty would beencountered in the manufacture because the soft metal seal when run into the space between the ring sections in a fused state would be liable to run entirely through and lodge on the bearing surfaces proper to the injury thereof. My present invention comprehends the use of a hard, that is to say a non-fusible, metal spacer which overcomes all of the above diliiculties. It avoids first the necessity of a separate primary adjusting means for effecting at the outset an accurate adjustment of the rings 7 prior to the flowing in of the seal of soft metal, and second, it avoids the necessity of introducing into the assembledand adjusted bearing a packing to prevent the fusible metal from flowing into the path of the balls. By employing a spacer of hard metal initially proportioned so as to space the rings apart to the desired extent when flattened down, the introduction and deformation of the same, as I have before described, furnishes a permanent spacing for the bearing rings with approximately the proper spacing. It is preferable to use a spacer which when flattened down will tend to cause the races to bear upon the balls with slightly more than the desired force causing the hearing to bind slightly. This binding, if objectionable, may be easily and quickl relieved by simply putting the bearing undhr a suitable heavy press and applying suflicient pressure to the two ring members to crowd them together sufiiciently to allow the balls to run with the desired degree of freedom. It will thus be seen that my improvement possesses many advantages over the prior art and notably over the construction above described which employs a soft metal seal as distinguished from a hard or non-fusible metal spacer. For the above reasons it will be understood that by the term hard metal I mean to exclude such metals or alloys as -are fusible at a comparatively low temperature such as Babbitt metal or the like.

What I claim is:

1. A ball bearing comprising a channeled member having annular shoulders to provide thrust receiving ball tracks, a pair of bearing members concentricall arranged with respect to said channele membergand having annular ball tracks confronting the ball tracks of said channeled member, said hearing members being displaceable axially toward each other to permit balls to be introduced between confronting ball tracks, two sets of balls between said confronting sets of ball tracks and spreading means for said bearing members comprising a hard metal spreading member permanently secured between the axially displaceable bearing members to hold the same spaced apart to maintain the respective ball tracks thereon in proper operative relation with the confronting ball tracks on the other bearing member, said parts being constructed to enable the insertion and deformation of said spreading member between said axially displaceable bearing, members in the act of assembling the bearing.

2. A ball bearing comprising a bearing member provided with two spaced ball races,

a cooperating bearing member composed of massaca plurality of axially displaceable rings eac constructed to provide a ball race to a' cooperate with one of the ball races on the first mentioned bearing member, two rows of balls in the spaces between cooperating ball races, a non-removable hard metal spacing member between said two rings operating to hold the same at a fixed operative relation to cause theflcompanion ball races to properly engage said -two rows of balls and means permanentlysecuring said hard metal spacing member in spacing position between Ehe two rings of the two-part bearing mem- 3. In a ball bearing of the double row type, two annular bearing members having two sets of ball races to receive two rows of balls, one of said bearing members comprising two rings axially displaceable to permit of the assembling of the bearingwhen said rings are brought together, a hard metal deformable spacing device, the two ring bearing member having a recess to receive said spacing member, the bottom of said recess forming a supporting platform for said deformable spacing member.

a. In a ball bearing of the double row type, two annular bearing members having two sets of ball races to receive two rows of balls, one of said bearing members comprising two rings axially displaceable to permit of the assembling of the bearing when said being undercut, said spacing member projectinlg into said undercut portions.

a ball bearing of the double row type, two annular bearing members having two sets of ball races to receive two rows of balls, one of said bearing members comprising two rings axially displaceable to permit of the assembling of the bearing when said rings are brought together, a hard metal spacing device, the two ring bearing member having a recess to receive said spacing member, the bottom of said recess forming a supporting platform for said spacing member, the opposite edges of said recess being undercut, said spacing member projecting into said undercut portions and means for preventing the independent rotation of said rings. 7

6. In a ball bearing of the double row type, two annular bearing members having two sets of ball races to receive two rows of balls, one of said bearing members comprising two rings axially displaceable to permit of the assembling of the hearing when said rings are brought together, a hard metal spacing device, the two ring bearing memher having a recess to receive said spacing member, the bottom of said-recess forming a supporting platform for said spacing member, the opposite edges of said recess being undercut, said spacing member projecting into said undercut portions and means for preventing the independent rotation of said rings, said means being formed integrally with said spacing member.

7. In a ball bearing of the double row type, two annular bearing members having two sets of ball races to receive two rows of balls, one of said bearing members comprising two rings axially displaceable to permit of the assembling of the bearing when said rings are brought together, a hard metal spacing device, the two ring bearing member having a recess to receive said spacing member, the bottom of said recess forming a supporting platform for said spacing member, the opposite edges of said recess being undercut, said spacing member projecting into said undercut portions, and means for preventing the independent rotation of said rings, said means being formed integrally with said spacing member and comprising a opposite projections on said spacing member arranged to project into corresponding recesses in said ring members.

8. A ball bearing comprising a bearing member provided with two spaced apart ball races, a cooperating bearing member composed of concentrically arranged bearing rings havingball races for cooperation with theball races on the first bearing member, said bearing rings being displaceable axially toward each other to admit balls into one of the ball races described, and a deformable initially arched spreading member engaged while in arched conditionbetween the adjoining bearing rings and flattened down to thereby spread apart the ball race rings to a predetermined extent.

9. The herein described process which comprises approaching ball race rings of a two-part bearing member to thereby open up the ball race between one of said rings and the ball race track on a cooperating bearing member, introducing the balls into said opened race way, introducing an arched deformable spreader between the two ball race 115 rings and then flattening down the arched portion of said spreading member to thereby force the ball race rings apart a predeter- .mined extent.

bearing member, introducing the balls into said opened race way, introducing an arched deformable spreader between the two ball race rings, then flattening down the arched portion of said spreading member to thereby force the ball race rings apart a predeter- 13o mined extent and then forcing the two ring members toward each other to relieve them of undue preesure on the balls.-

11. In a bearing of the character set forth,

5;: a channeled hearing member having ball tracks at the opposite sides of the channel therein, a cooperating bearing member comprising concentrically disposeoi ring memhers having bell tracks confronting the belt 1o tracks on the first bearing memher and &is-

plaeeahle axially toward each other to etimit it row of balls between one set of confronting ball tracks, two rows of bells engagged between the sets of confronting bail sets and a sheet metai spreader of transversely arched configuration for engagement between the axially displaceable bearing rings.

on A. o Leon. 

